1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner for use in electrophotographic printing, and an electrophotographic printing method and a liquid developer for electrophotographic printing using the toner.
2. Discussion of the Background
The printing method is used a variety of fibers such as threads, fabrics and secondary textile products, and mainly includes roller printings using anastatic printings, screen printings and stencil printings. Specific examples of the screen printings include manual printings, semi-automatic screen printings, automatic running screen printings, flat or rotary automatic screen printings, etc.
The roller printing needs a process of engraving a design on a metallic roller which is difficult to handle. The screen printing takes time to prepare a screen and a trouble to print. The rotary screen printing also takes time to prepare a screen and engraving a roller. Conventional printing methods take troubles and long times, and simple printing methods are desired.
Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 10-195776, 2003-96340, 7-278482 and 8-226083; and Japanese Patent No. 2995135 disclose short-time printing methods using an inkjet, omitting a process of engraving a plate. However, the printing methods using an inkjet cannot increase the density and the density changes while printing.
In order to solve these problem, electrophotographic printing methods are being developed recently. Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 5-027474 and 5-033275 disclose a method of forming an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor, adhering a toner to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image thereon, transferring the toner image onto clothes, and fixing the toner thereon with heat. However, the electrophotographic printing method uses a dry toner forming a thick toner layer on the cloth, resulting in rough touch. In addition, a resin physically adheres to a fiber, resulting in poor abrasion resistance and washing resistance.
Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 9-73198 and 10-239916 disclose an electrophotographic printing method using a liquid toner, wherein a liquid toner including a sublimation dye is subjected to an ion stream to be developed, the developed design is printed on a transferer, and sublimated and thermal-transferred onto clothes. This is a simple method and the printed clothes have natural touch, but the second color thereon does not have sufficient density, and have poor washing resistance. In addition, the toner does not penetrate to the back of the cloth and both sides there of need printing. Further, after the toner is transferred to the cloth, a paper (the transferer) is wasted.
Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-110085 discloses a magenta liquid printing toner using an anthraquinone colorant, which has improved colorability and density, but deteriorates in chargeability and dispersibility when used for long periods.
In ordinary screen printings, an ordinary printing method differs in a point that a dye adheres to a cloth in the form of a colored adhesive from the electrophotographic printing method wherein a dye of adheres to a cloth in the shape of a particle. Therefore, in the ordinary printing method, the cloth and the dye do not sufficiently react each other, resulting in deterioration of coloring density.
Because of these reasons, a need exists for an electrophotographic printing toner having good chargeability, dispersibility and dyeing capability of dyeing objects to have high image density.